As we bid farewell to the summer and start to look towards autumn, the Parkinson’s calendar is looking exciting indeed, with a huge array of Parkinson’s-related events taking place across Europe. From music, art and sport to large-scale research events, with options to enjoy some of them virtually online as well as in person, there really is something for everyone coming up in the next few weeks:
SEPTEMBER
ParkinsonSchule weekly lectures — Germany
Weekly from Wednesday 4 September 2024
This incredible resource for people with Parkinson’s begins today: a weekly lecture series hosted by a wide range of experts on a variety of Parkinson’s-related topics, from symptoms and treatment options to nutrition, sport, and how to access benefits available for people with Parkinson’s in Germany. There’s 35 lectures listed so far, leading all the way to May 2025, so plenty of options to get involved.
Find out more: ParkinsonSchule website
Ray Kennedy Cup — Norway
7-8 September 2024
The Ray Kennedy Cup is a Parkinson’s football tournament set up in memory of the English football player Ray Kennedy, who was diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson’s in 1984 at the age of 32. This year, the competition is taking place in Moss, Norway, with teams from across Europe — including Norway, Sweden, Denmark, England, Wales and the Basque Country — taking part.
Find out more: Ray Kennedy Cup Facebook group
Swiss Medical Orchestra Benefit Concert for Parkinson Schweiz — Switzerland
Saturday 7 September (Geneva) and Sunday 8 September (Bern)
Parkinson’s events don’t come much more perfect than this: a charity concert to raise vital funds for patient organisation Parkinson Schweiz, with the orchestra consisting of 200 doctors from all over Switzerland! There are two opportunities to enjoy this concert: one evening at Victoria Hall in Geneva, followed by another evening at Kulturcasino in Bern.
Find out more: Parkinson Schweiz website
I Talenti Del Parkinson art exhibition — Italy
2-22 September
This art exhibition is being hosted by the European Parkinson Therapy Centre at the Boario Terme Park, located north-east of Milan near Lake Iseo, and will feature works of art created by people with Parkinson’s. It’s a celebration of how art and creativity has been shown to help improve the wellbeing of people with Parkinson’s, with the exhibition free to attend, and open daily between now and Sunday 22 September.
Find out more: European Parkinson Therapy Centre
OCTOBER
Park-Con by Parkinson’s UK — United Kingdom
11-12 October
As Parkinson’s events go, this is a must for your calendar: Par-Con is Parkinson’s UK’s free, 2-day in-person (at Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds) and online event for the Parkinson’s community to hear from expert speakers, connect with others and learn more about living well with Parkinson’s. As well as updates on the latest Parkinson’s research and technology, there’ll be physical activity sessions, Q&As and even the Community Awards (hosted by Paul Mayhew-Archer).
Find out more: Par-Con 2024 website
Parkinson-Abend — Germany
19 October
This fundraising evening in aid of Parkinson Stiftung takes place in Baden-Baden in south-west Germany, and will include panel discussions from a range of Parkinson’s experts, including neurologists, sportspeople and journalists. There will also be comedy and musical performances and a four-course dinner. Tickets are 285 EUR, with all proceeds going to Parkinson Stiftung.
Find out more: Parkinson-Abend website
Ping Pong Parkinson World Championship — Slovenia
14-19 October
The fifth Ping Pong Parkinson World Championship is taking place is Laško, Slovenia and will be hosted by Društvo Trepetlika. As well as singles and doubles tournaments for both men and women, there will also be a chance for non-competing players to take part in some spatial PingPongParkinson therapeutic training. There are currently 300 players registered to take part from over 20 countries, and registration is still open.
Find out more: PingPongParkinson website
World Parkinson’s Table Tennis Championships — France
23-27 October
Part of the World Table Tennis for Health Festival will once again include the World Parkinson’s Table Tennis Championships. This year, the tournament takes place at Maizières-lès-Metz in France (at the same time as France Parkinson’s first Parlons Recherche Event, see below) and registration is still open if you would like to compete.
Find out more: ITTF website
Parlons Recherche for France Parkinson — France
Friday 25 October and Saturday 9 November
Another big hitter in the Parkinson’s events calendar is this double event exploring advances in Parkinson’s research, organised for the third year running by France Parkinson, available both in person and online. The two-hour conferences will see researchers presenting their latest projects and answering your questions, with the first event in Maizières-lès-Metz focussing on nutrition and exercise, and the second event in Toulouse looking at non-motor symptoms in Parkinson’s.
Find out more: Parlons Recherche website
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